How is salt unhealthy?

Question

I'm aware of all the statistics that relate salt intake with high blood pressure, but I want to know the mode of action. How does a higher concentration of salt lead to high blood presure?

Answer 1

There are a lot of BAD ANSWERS above.

In fact, I'd be quite surprised if you really ARE "aware of all the statistics that relate salt intake with high blood pressure" because there has been an absolutely enormous amount of theory and conjecture published in the medical literature for many many years pointing in both the PRO and CON direction in regard to any such correlation!

Salt, and it's relationship to high blood pressure are not well understood, and anyone who tries to give you a simple explanation involving salt, osmosis and water pressure is completely missing the point.

In fact, for people who have a normal ability to retain or excrete water (normal - or near normal kidneys), salt does NOT play a direct role in acutely increasing or decreasing blood pressure. For the short period of time after dietary salt is taken in, there is thirst, and then retention of water. This leads to an increase in the circulating fluid volume and a prompt response by the kidney to excrete both salt and water, restoring the normal circulating volume.

The blood pressure does not vary during this period in any way that can be related to the salt intake or to the water. Theoretical and imaginary mechanisms involving water retention do not take into account the wide variety of other factors that influence instantaneous blood pressure including vascular tone, cardiac output, and tissue permeability. When actually studying what happens to patients, it is not clear by any means that an increase in salt administration will alter the blood pressure readings.

A concept now exists that may turn out to be a more useful way to think about salt and its relationship to health. This is the concept of "salt sensitivity". Like glucose sensitivity in diabetics, there is probably a class of patients who have a problem handling salt loads. Interestingly, these patients are thought to be at risk, not because of the relationship between salt and high blood pressure, but the relation between salt and vascular disease itself. One theory is that abnormal salt metabolizers suffer some type of platelet dysfunction as a result of salt intake. If this is so, these patients would be at higher risk of those exact things that ultimately turn out to be the killers for hypertensives, that is, heart attack and stroke. My understanding is that when this type of phenomenon has been sought after, it's signs are not specifically in hypertensive people. It may well be equally distributed in the population and the prevelence is unknown.

Answer 2

Is Salt Unhealthy

Answer 3

Salt is unhealthy if you over consume it. Just put a pinch of salt in your dishes. But if you are loosing too much salt through sweating when you are taking exercises in the gym, then you might as well be in a dangerous condition. So whenever taking a work out, drinking isotonic beverages will do you good. Hope this helps you.

Answer 4

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RE:
How is salt unhealthy?
I'm aware of all the statistics that relate salt intake with high blood pressure, but I want to know the mode of action. How does a higher concentration of salt lead to high blood presure?

Answer 5

Higher concentration of salt does not "lead" to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is an existing condition that can be triggered by salt ingestion. Salt is a natural part of the diet and in moderate quantities is not problematic. So I think you are asking what happens when a person "with" high blood pressure ingests a high level of salt. In that case the blood pressure increases when the sodium molecules enter the blood stream and retain fluids thereby constricting the flow and further causing the higher level of blood pressure.

Answer 6

When the salt content of your blood goes up, it attracts water from around your cells (in muscles and organs) into your blood to dilute it. Otherwise, your blood would be too salty. There is salt as sodium outside every cell in your body. When the salt content of the fluid around your cells goes up, it attracts water from your blood and swelling occurs.

Your kidneys are responsible for regulating salt and water levels in your body. When salt and water levels increase around cells, the excess is drawn into your blood, which is filtered by your kidneys. Your kidneys remove excess salt and water from your blood, both of which are excreted as urine. When your kidneys don't work well, fluid builds up around cells and in your blood. Your heart is the pump that pushes your blood around. If there is more fluid in your blood, your heart has to work harder and your blood pressure can go up because there is more pressure on the walls of your blood vessels. Your heart can get weaker or worn out from the extra work.

Salt has been blamed in the past as causing high blood pressure. New research though is suggesting that too little calcium or potassium as having some impact on blood pressure. So salt may not be the only bad guy after all.

Answer 7

salt is a natural dehydrator

salt in and of itself is not harmful - it is even beneficial
it occurs in it's natural state in many foods
salt added to foods is where it becomes harmful. by adding salt during cooking, and adding salt AGAIN at the dinnertable, now that becomes harmfull.

I don't know all the facts obviously, but as in anything, less is more - more is not.

Answer 8

I don't know how relevant this is but here goes, one of my ex-girlfriends who was a nurse, told me that I shouldn't use the lo-salt type of salts because they have potassium chloride not sodium chloride, and the potassium is bad for your heart even though the lo-salt are said to be better for you, I don't know why but she should know best as it was the one with medical training.

Answer 9

salt will draw water out from your cells into the bloodstream. The extar volume of water will require the heart to pump the harder in order to get the blood thro' the veins... This lead to high blood pressure.

Answer 10

Just like anything, too much of it is always bad. Too much sugar is bad because it could cause your body to stop producing insulin (blood sugar) and then you'd be diabetic. Too many fatty foods causes obesity. So, basic laws apply.